3. Meanwhile, whisk the sour cream, sugar and vanilla together. Pour the topping over the hot cheesecake and bake for another 5 minutes.

— Tonya Higby, Livermore

The Story Behind the Pie

I love making pies. My mom taught me how when I was in junior high and gave me my grandma's pie crust recipe, which is the best! Before I was married and had children, I used to make pies for the people that I worked with. I would take a vacation day and stay up all night baking pies.

Once I got married, I volunteered to make the pies for Thanksgiving for my husband's family. Several years into being the "pie baker" for the family gatherings, my oven died. I went to Costco and bought pies that year. There was quite an uprising — I was basically told that if I couldn't bring the "homemade" pies everyone loved, I might as well not come! (I'm pretty sure that they were kidding, but I don't want to find out.)

The favorite recipe by far though is the cheesecake that I make. It came from an old school cookbook that my mom found at a sale somewhere — plus a little modifying.